Department for Transport

High Speed Two: Disclosure of Information

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) non-disclosure agreements, (2) settlement agreements, (3) compromise agreements,and (3)similar legalagreements that contain non-disclosure provisions, HS2 has entered into with former members of staff.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2's redundancy payments scheme contributed in whole or in part to any settlement agreements or compromise agreements with former senior members of staff; and whether any of those members of staff made protected disclosures of HS2's financial statements.

baroness vere of norbiton: A response is provided to both 261785 and 261784 jointly, as the questions overlap. Since 1 January 2017, HS2 Ltd has entered into 47 Settlement Agreements with employees who no longer work for HS2 Ltd as at today’s date. Specifically, 26 of the 47 were employees who had themselves applied to be made redundant as part of a voluntary redundancy scheme that HS2 Limited ran in 2016. Of the remainder, 3 were with employees who were being made redundant as part of 2 discrete organisational changes. Of the 47, 10 Settlement Agreements have been entered into with staff who were members of HS2’s senior leadership team or higher (7 of the 10 were part of the voluntary redundancy programme mentioned above). The Settlement Agreement contains terms relating to the cessation of the employment relationship between HS2 Ltd and the employee (e.g. termination date, payment owed for annual leave not taken, any other payments owed, etc). There are mutual confidentiality obligations in each Settlement Agreement but these do not apply where information is required to be disclosed by law OR where a protected disclosure is made by the employee under whistleblowing legislation. Of the 47 Settlement Agreements referred to above, no employee has raised any such protected disclosure (in relation to HS2 Ltd’s financial statements or otherwise). HS2 Ltd has not entered into any Non-Disclosure Agreements with any HS2 employee. Before any Settlement Agreement is signed by HS2 Ltd and the employee, a certificate from an independent legal adviser must be provided, evidencing that legal advice has been given to the employee as to the effect of the terms of the Agreement. This process can lead to requests for changes to the template Agreement, which HS2 Ltd accepts where feasible.

Electric Scooters: Cycleways

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 July (HL16757),why electrically powered cycles are allowed on cycle ways provided that the cycle is designed only to provide electric assistance if the rider provides some pedal power, but electric scooters which can permit the addition of rider power by pushing on the road are not permitted on cycle ways.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 July (HL16757), when they expect the Future of Mobility review to be published.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 July (HL16757), whether,pending anyrelevantlegislative changes,theyintend to allow drivers of electric scooters to use cycle ways and cycle lanes on roads withoutrequiring them to possess a driving licence for motor vehicles.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 July (HL16757),whether electrically powered personal vehicles such as scooters, gyroscopic one or two-wheel vehicles and other similar vehicles are permitted to operate anywhere.

baroness vere of norbiton: Electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs) are allowed on cycle routes provided they conform with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations. If an EAPC meets those regulatory requirements it is treated the same as a pedal cycle. In the UK, electric scooters are treated like any other motor vehicle under the Road Traffic Act. This means they are subject to laws requiring them to conform to technical standards and be used safely. This includes requirements for users to have insurance, driving licences, number plates, and helmets. At present, it is difficult for electric scooters to meet these requirements. Therefore, it is illegal to use an electric scooter on public roads and pavements. They are legal for use on private land with the landowners’ permission. The Future of Mobility regulatory review will address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future. This is a broad programme of work, and we expect to publish an initial consultation in autumn this year.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Devon

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (1) decision to discipline coastguards, and (2) management competence, in Devon; and what plans they have to review each individual case including the resultant resignations.

baroness vere of norbiton: Her Majesty’s Government appreciates the efforts of all of the volunteers in the Coastguard Rescue Service who often operate in hazardous environments, and it is important that volunteers operate safely and stay in touch with the operation centres. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has a Code of Contact which provides the standards by which their Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) are expected to follow. This Code sets out the policies, processes and standards for the MCA’s volunteers and includes a three-stage disciplinary process– investigation, disciplinary meeting and appeal meeting. The competence of employed staff, which includes Coastguard management, is continually assessed and formal review meetings are held quarterly.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the rail service between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4; and what plans they have to ensure that the servicemeets requirements.

baroness vere of norbiton: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London. Rail services between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 are the responsibility of Transport for London.

Bus Lanes: Taxis

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans theyhave toreview the limitation in London on the use ofbus lanes to black cabsand include badged private hire vehicles.

baroness vere of norbiton: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London through the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It is the responsibility of the Mayor, and delivered by Transport for London. Decisions on how bus lanes are used are therefore a matter for the Mayor.

East Coast Supervisory Board

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthe East Coast Supervisory Board has met since November 2018; if not, why not;on which dates it has met since it was established in 2017; how frequently it is expected to meet; and howit hasrepresented theviews and interests of its customers since its last meeting.

baroness vere of norbiton: The East Coast Supervisory Board aims to meet quarterly; it met on 7 September and 24 November in 2017, and on 18 February, 17 March, 30 August and 9 November in 2018. A decision was taken to suspend the Board in the light of health problems being suffered by its independent chair. The membership and remit of the board will be reconsidered as work to establish the East Coast Partnership progresses.

Gatwick Airport Station

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the cost of the improvements to Gatwick Airport Railway Station are being met by the airport authority.

baroness vere of norbiton: Gatwick Airport Limited are contributing 25% of the capital costs of the scheme, up to a maximum of £37 million. These improvements will greatly improve the interchange for commuters, visitors and business which will support the sustainable growth of the area with Gatwick airport at its heart.

Railway Stations: Parking

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is National Rail’s programme for increasing capacity in station car parks to encourage the use of public transport by existing and potential passengers.

baroness vere of norbiton: The majority of station car parks are the responsibility of Train Operating Companies. The Department encourages these organisations to identify car parks that are at capacity and work with local partners. The result may be physical car park expansion, or a more innovative approach such as promoting car-sharing. Furthermore, the Department’s Cycle-Rail programme has tripled the number of cycle parking spaces at more than 500 stations, bringing the total to over 80,000 since 2010.

Electric Vehicles

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the use of electric vehicles.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government’s mission is to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. The Road to Zero Strategy sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions. By 2030 we want at least half of new cars sold, and as many as 70%, to be ultra low emission, alongside up to 40% of new vans. To achieve this, we are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in vehicles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. We have also put in place a favourable tax regime that rewards the cleanest vehicles. To accelerate the shift to zero emission cars, all zero emission models will pay no company car tax in 2020-21; 1% in 2021-22 before returning to the planned 2% rate in 2022-23 – a significant tax saving for employees and employers. This adds up to one of the most comprehensive support packages in the world for the transition to zero emission vehicles. The Government has been supporting vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and academia in delivering a major programme of R&D into cleaner vehicle technologies. For example, we announced nearly £40m investment in 12 projects to support innovation in wireless and on-street charging technology to encourage uptake of electric vehicles. The Prime Minister announced that we are also consulting on proposals for chargepoints to be installed with all newly built homes in England, where appropriate, and on the introduction of smart chargepoints. To improve the consumer charging experience, we want to see all newly installed public rapid and higher powered chargepoints to offer debit/credit card payment from Spring 2020.

Leader of the House of Lords

Government Bills

lord norton of louth: To ask the Leader of the House, further to her Written Answer on 3 July (HL16472), what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of government bills published in draft and submitted for pre-legislative scrutiny by a joint committee or committee of either House.

baroness evans of bowes park: The Government is supportive of the role of pre-legislative scrutiny, and looks to take steps wherever possible to facilitate it. In the 2016-17 session, the Government published 3 draft bills. In this session we have published ten draft pieces of legislation for pre-legislative scrutiny by a joint committee or a committee of either house, these were: Draft Health Service Safety Investigations Bill; Draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill; Draft clause on the Personal Injury Discount Rate - subsequently included in the Civil Liability Bill; Draft Tenants Fees Bill; Draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill 2017; Draft Finance Bill; Draft Registration of Overseas Entities Bill; Draft Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill; Draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill; Draft Domestic Abuse Bill.

Bullying and Harassment in the House of Lords Independent Inquiry

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Naomi Ellenbogen QC An Independent Inquiry into bullying and harassment in the House of Lords, published on 11 July.

baroness evans of bowes park: As the Prime Minister has said before, everyone working in Parliament deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This inquiry has brought to light behaviour which is unacceptable, and it is incumbent on the House of Lords to take swift action. It is important that the House now carefully considers the concerns raised in this important report, and responds to its recommendations.It is primarily for Parliament, rather than Government, to consider how best to respond to Naomi Ellenbogen QC’s recommendations. The House of Lords Commission met on Wednesday 17 July in order to plan its response to the recommendations. Every member of the Commission committed to complete the Valuing Everyone training course, and the leaders of the political groupings committed their front bench to do the same. The Commission agreed the establishment of a Steering Group of staff, members and others to embark on the process of moving forward with Naomi Ellenbogen QC’s recommendations, and the new Conduct Committee will examine those which relate to the Code of Conduct.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Consultation

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many consultations the Department for Business, Energyand Industrial Strategy has carried out in each of the last five years; and to how many of those it published a formal response within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.

lord henley: Since its creation in July 2016, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published 140 consultations.YearNumber of consultationsResponse published within 12 weeks2016247201743820185011201923*5 *6 consultations are still open. 8 consultations are closed, but still within the 12 week period.

UK Research and Innovation

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether participation by an individual or an organisation in an academic boycottis taken into account in funding decisions by UK Research and Innovation, based on their principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and in compliance with the public sector Equality Duty; and if not, why not.

lord henley: UKRI funding decisions are made on the basis of the excellence of the proposals that are received, and any academic partnerships which strengthens applications and delivers such excellence are encouraged. UKRI does not ask applicants about their political views or activity, or those of the employing organisation. UKRI has clear eligibility criteria and EDI policy principles which the organisations we fund are expected to meet.

Digital Technology: Sales

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the Consumer Rights Act 2015 rules for digital content purchased post-Brexit to include a 28-day refund rule.

lord henley: HM Government has no plans to amend current legislation on digital content. However, the Government has committed to retaining strong protections for consumers post Brexit.

Medicine: Research

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the current public spending on research and development they intend to spend on health in (1) 2019, and (2) each of the next five years.

lord henley: We are increasing spending on R&D by £7 billion over 5 years by 2021-22. This will be the largest increase ever. The government has acknowledged the importance of investment in medical and health R&D to the continued health of the UK and to the continued excellence of our healthcare system. The government’s commitment to this is laid out in the Industrial Strategy and the life science sector deal.The Government funds health related R&D primarily through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Within UKRI the main funder of health related research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). However, all of UKRI’s councils fund projects that are connected to health e.g. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) which has strategic investments in both human and animal health (including long term institute programmes at the Babraham Institute, the Quadram Institute and The Pirbright Institute). Innovate UK also supports business led innovation in healthcare and is involved in wider cross cutting UKRI programmes such as the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund which has several challenges related to healthcare including the £210 million ‘Data to Early Diagnosis’ Challenge.UKRI funding decisions are based on the quality of applications, balancing this against wider opportunities and allowing for investigator-led proposals to inform priorities. As such, a total number for spending on health R&D is not available for 2019.NIHR and MRC have budgets for 2019 of £1,078 million and £745 million respectively.Allocations for 2020 onwards are subject to the Spending Review.

Medicine: Research

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what proportion of theinvestment in research anddevelopment, intended to reach 2.4per cent of GDP by 2027, they expect to spend on health each year.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the investment in research and development, intended to reach 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, they expect tocome from private sources each year.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the investment in research and development, intended to reach 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, intended for health research and development they expect to come from private sources each year.

lord henley: Through the Industrial Strategy we have committed to reaching the target of 2.4% of GDP investment in R&D by 2027, and 3% in the longer term. Achieving this ambition would provide a strong platform to transform the economy by enabling the development of new technologies, industries and products that bring new growth, good jobs, and a wide range of social improvements. Reaching the 2.4% target will require concerted effort both for government and for business. Public investment will play an essential role in achieving the target, but this will also require a commitment from the private sector to invest substantially. Health-related Research and Development will be a vital element of our plan for reaching the ambition. We will publish a Roadmap for achieving the ambition, following the Spending Review. The Roadmap will explore the full range of policy measures that could encourage additional private investment in R&D.

Fuel Poverty

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a national fuel fund to support those unable to meet gas and electricity bills.

lord henley: We have no current plans to establish a national fuel fund.The Government provides support to those struggling with their gas and electricity bills through:• The Warm Home Discount, which provides a £140 rebate to more than two million households;• Winter Fuel Payments, that provides £200-300 to pensioners, ensuring that they can keep warm during the colder months; and• Cold Weather Payments, which were automatically provided to more than one million households during winter 2018-19.In addition, the default tariff cap protects all consumers on default tariffs from being overcharged and Ofgem’s safeguard price cap protects consumers on pre-payment meter tariffs.The most sustainable approach to decreasing energy bills is improving energy efficiency.• The Energy Company Obligation drives £640 million of investment annually into improving the efficiency of low income and vulnerable households.• The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards require landlords spend up to £3500 (including VAT) improving their rented properties to EPC Band E.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Final Report of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians was published; whatwere the recommendations of that Report; and whether they will set out their response to each such recommendation.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are grateful to the Bishop for setting out ambitious recommendations in his report which was published on 16 July. The report has identified specific steps the British Government can take to address the issues faced by persecuted Christians around the world. I am pleased to confirm that the Government has accepted the recommendations in full and work will now begin to implement them. This work will include exploring how best to deliver a new Security Council Resolution on protecting Christians in North Africa and the Middle East; and sanctioning those who persecute people for holding a religion or belief.

USA: Diplomatic Service

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the UK ambassador to the United States to maintain a productive relationship with the government of the United States; and when that ambassador is due to be replaced.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​As the Noble Lord will be aware, Sir Kim Darroch resigned as our Ambassador to the United States on 10 July. A new appointment will be made in due course. The UK has a strong relationship with the US which is based on decades of close cooperation and partnership, and that will remain the case.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledonon 3 July(HL16512), how many UK-funded programmes and projects to support actions agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 have been evaluatedwith those evaluations published; and what is the timeline for the evaluation of remaining programmes.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: All UK-funded programmes and projects to support actions agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018 are subject to regular reviews. The majority of such programmes and projects are subject to the standard Annual Review processes of either the Department for International Development (DfID) or the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which look at the effectiveness and value for money of each programme, and consider how teams have assessed risk and changing contexts. Summaries of the annual reviews are published on the CSSF page on gov.uk, while DfID reviews are published on DfID's Development Tracker, again accessed through gov.uk. DfID annual reviews are published throughout the year, depending on the date of the review. CSSF annual reviews are carried out in the first quarter of the financial year and summaries of the reviews are published later in the year.A small number of programmes and projects are not funded by DFID or the CSSF, but they also undergo regular reporting throughout their implementation and on completion, including published annual reviews and/or internal annual progress reports.

Sudan: Politics and Government

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what influencethey estimate the Sudan Troika countries will have on the possible recurrence of human rights violations by the military council in Khartoum if the latest peace agreement fails.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Troika countries (UK, US and Norway) are engaging with the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), and regional allies to support the political agreement setting out the transition to civilian rule. We urge all sides to finalise swiftly the Constitutional Declaration and implement the full agreement. Our Embassy in Khartoum closely monitors the human rights situation in Sudan, and raises our concerns in meeting with the authorities on the political situation. The UK, alongside Troika partners, will continue to maintain an international spotlight on the human rights situation in order to encourage accountability and try and prevent further human rights violations. On 29 June, Troika countries issued a joint statement that called on the TMC to respect the rights of the people of Sudan to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, permit peaceful protests, and avoid any use of violence. The Troika released a further joint statement on 18 July. This welcomed the commitment of the TMC and FFC to support an independent investigation into acts of violence, including on 3 June.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Office: Paintings

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are used to determine which portraits are displayed or removed in (1) the Northern Ireland Office, and (2) the Northern Ireland Assembly.

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any reports that civil servants in Northern Irelandhave been offended by portraits of the Royal Family in (1) the Northern Ireland Office, and (2) theNorthern Ireland Assembly; and if so, how many civil servants have made such complaints.

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Northern Irish civil servants received compensation for offence caused by portraits of the Royal Family; if so, how many; and in each case, how much compensation was awarded.

lord duncan of springbank: The Northern Ireland Office takes its responsibilities under Fair Employment legislation very seriously and seeks to ensure a good and harmonious working environment for all staff; the requirements of which are set out in the 1989 Fair Employment Code of Practice. In line with the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland’s Guide, Promoting a Good and Harmonious Working Environment, the Northern Ireland Office is sensitive to the display of “posters, pictures, portraits or other displays that are more closely associated with one or other of the communities” and will consider any concerns raised by employees. I can confirm that the department takes steps to ensure no such images are displayed in Stormont House Information on employees’ personal data is sensitive, in order to comply with DPA requirements, and so I am unable to comment further. In line with the rest of the Civil Service, our staff need to be able to raise concerns in a confidential manner and without fear of repercussions. In relation to the Northern Ireland Assembly, I would refer the noble Lord to the Clerk/ Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Department of Health and Social Care

Data Protection: USA

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto design a new, improved data privacy shield that takes on board concerns about the current EU–United States Privacy Shieldbefore negotiating a trade deal with the government of the United States after Brexit, so that it safeguards individuals as well as providing for the promotion of the UK’s life science and technology sectors.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to explore the scope to design a dedicated privacy shield confined to health and care data before negotiating a trade deal with the government of the United Statesafter Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has committed to maintaining a high level of data protection standards, which are set out in the Data Protection Act 2018.These safeguards allow the public to have trust in how and why their data is used and it is important that we maintain them. Access and use of data should always be done lawfully, safely and securely. We reiterate that National Health Service data must always be held securely, with appropriate and strong privacy and cyber-security protections.As the United Kingdom leaves the European Union we have made arrangements with the United States that will ensure that in both ‘deal’ and ‘no deal’ scenarios, transfers of personal data from the UK to US Privacy Shield participant organisations can continue to be made under the Privacy Shield Framework.

Neurology

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to establishinga national neurology plan to support people diagnosed with neurological conditions and to addressany imbalances in the delivery of neurological services.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurology services and started, last autumn, a national Specialised Adult Neuroscience Transformation Programme which includes specialised neurology services. The aim is to identify how best to commission services that deliver the right care at the right place and right time and reduce inequalities in access to specialist and specialised care when required.The programme will focus on specialised neurology and how to organise services such that patients receive access to specialist care and input at key points in the pathway. However, while specialised services for people living with neurological conditions are commissioned by NHS England the bulk of care is funded locally by clinical commissioning groups. The programme will therefore work with wider policy and services across the National Health Service to deliver holistic improvements in care. The aim is to deliver seamless care for people living with neurological conditions, wherever they live.

Health Professions: Apprentices

lord evans of watford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, and with whom, about the development of degree apprenticeships in healthcare, including nursing and pharmacy.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has had discussions across a wide range of stakeholders about the development of degree apprenticeships. However, it is the role of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education along with the trailblazer group to take forward the development of any apprenticeship.The Institute ensures that trailblazer groups are made up of a range of employers and reflective of those who employ people in the occupation, including small employers.

Shingles: Vaccination

baroness featherstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have torequire GP surgeries in England to put in place a call and recall procedure to require them to follow up patients in the shingles vaccination cohort who have not yet availed themselves of the vaccine.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: As outlined in both the NHS Long Term Plan and Investment and Evolution: a five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement The NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently undertaking a review of vaccinations and immunisations. The Department would not wish to pre-empt the outcome of this review. Investment and Evolution states that the purpose of the review as being to:- Ensure the system incentivises achievement of appropriate uptake rates for immunisations in line with national public health uptake rates;- Reduce the administrative burden on general practices by simplifying the system if possible;- Clarify what is expected on call/recall for immunisations delivered through the GP contract;- Address anomalies in the system that directly incentivise some vaccines but not others;- Look at how we deal with outbreaks and catch-up programmes; and- Consider whether we extend the list of chargeable travel vaccines.A copy of Investment and Evolution: a five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement The NHS Long Term Plan is attached. 



Five-year framework for GP contract reform
(PDF Document, 1.49 MB)

Department for Education

Schools: Standards

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools in England and Wales are currently under special measures; and how long each of those schools have been subject to such measures.

lord agnew of oulton: For schools in England, this is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the noble Lord Browne of Belmont directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. For schools in Wales, education is a devolved matter. It is for the National Assembly to decide on policy for schools in Wales.

Department for Education: Sanitation

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Agnew of Oulton on 11 July (HL16827, HL16828, HL16829, and HL16830), whichpeople they consider would feel excluded (1) by separate communal male and female toilets, and (2) as a result of both toilets being gender-neutral.

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 11 July (HL16827, HL16828, HL16829, and HL16830),what estimate they have made of the percentage of visitors who would feel excluded (1) by separate communal male and female toilets, and (2) as a result of both toilets being gender-neutral.

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 11 July (HL16827, HL16828, HL16829, and HL16830),what consideration they have given, if any, to converting one toilet to gender-neutral and leaving the other as female onlyin the communal visitor area of Sanctuary Buildings; and which people they consider would feel excluded by such an arrangement.

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 11 July (HL16827, HL16828, HL16829, and HL16830),what discussions, if any, they have had with the cleaning staff in Sanctuary Buildings about the condition of the gender-neutral toilets in the communal visitor area compared to that of the female-only toilets.

lord agnew of oulton: The department has not identified any particular group of visitors that might feel excluded by separate communal male and female toilets or by both toilets being gender-neutral. The current approach for visitors supports individual choice rather than pre-supposing that particular groups of individuals have set or pre-determined preferences. With this in mind, no estimates have been made regarding the percentage of visitors who may feel excluded by separate communal male and female toilets, and of both toilets being gender-neutral. In addition, because visitors are served by a range of different toilet types, we would not expect individuals to feel excluded. Visitors have not fed back any concerns or sense of exclusion regarding the provision. The department rarely receives feedback on the visitors’ area and where it does, it will take action. In terms of the conversion of one toilet to gender-neutral status, while leaving the other as female only in the communal visitor area of Sanctuary Buildings, we are currently planning a major refurbishment of the visitor area. As part of that, we will review the facilities including the distribution of single sex and gender-neutral toilets. No discussions with the cleaning staff in Sanctuary Buildings have been held regarding the condition of the gender-neutral toilets in the communal visitor area compared to that of the female-only toilets. We have set standards of cleanliness across all facilities. We have not been made aware that these standards have not been met in the visitors’ toilets. We will monitor this, and take action, if required.

Academies: Inspections

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations of the Ofsted report, Multi-academy trusts: benefits, challenges and functions, published on 15 July, and in particular the recommendation that Ofsted be empowered to inspect both multi-academy trusts and individual schools in order to strengthen their accountability.

lord agnew of oulton: The department requires a high level of accountability and transparency of trusts and has robust processes in place for monitoring their performance. This includes collecting and publishing a wide range of information, such as tables setting out measures of educational performance; financial benchmarking tables; and letters to academy trusts about poor or inadequate performance or weaknesses in safeguarding, governance and/or financial management. This goes beyond the information that the department publishes about local authorities.Ofsted plays a vital role in holding trusts to account by providing independent judgements on the educational performance of schools within a trust and through its process of summary evaluations. Ofsted has so far published 6 summary evaluations of academy trusts since their introduction in December 2018.The department will continue to make information about trusts more visible. As we do this, we will ensure that accountability is robust, transparent and proportionate for all schools.

Apprentices: Arts

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to collate data in order to assessthe amount of apprenticeship levy money that was (1) paid, and (2) spent on apprenticeships, by creative industry companies in the 2018/19financial year.

lord agnew of oulton: The information requested is not held centrally. The apprenticeship levy is collected by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs from employers with a pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) does not require levy-paying employers to register a sector when they set up an online apprenticeship service account to manage their funds. Therefore, ESFA are unable to supply information on the sectoral distribution of spending on apprenticeships. There are currently no plans to change the registration process to collect this information from employers registering for an apprenticeship service account. We continue to use detailed data on apprenticeship starts (including levy-supported starts) and work closely with employers and sector bodies to further develop our understanding of how apprenticeships work for the creative sector. The quarterly ‘Apprenticeships and Traineeships’ data release provides an overview of the programme. The most recent update was published on 11 July 2019. All quarterly data releases include a ‘main commentary’ which summarises apprenticeship starts by level, framework or standard, and whether or not they were the levy-supported. This commentary has been attached and it available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/815291/Apprenticeships_and_Traineeships_release_July19_main_text.pdf. The whole quarterly release is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-july-2019. Data on apprenticeship starts by sector subject area and funding type can be compared using the interactive pivot tool entitled ‘Monthly apprenticeship starts by sector subject area, framework or standard, age, level, funding type and degree apprenticeship’ found in the monthly ‘Apprenticeships and levy statistics’ release. This was last updated in May 2019 and available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804343/Monthly-apprenticeship-starts-fwk-tool_May-2019.xlsx. The whole monthly release is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeship-and-levy-statistics-may-2019. We are working closely with employers in the creative industries so they can realise the benefits of apprenticeships. The Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport is developing an innovative pilot which will enable apprentices to benefit from hands-on experience on the sets of major films and television shows. Launching later this year, it will explore a new model that fulfils the requirements of high-quality apprenticeships, but uses multiple placements on film and television productions, as well as addressing skills shortages.



HL17203_Commentary
(PDF Document, 859.31 KB)

Education: Digital Technology

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of digital technology in the UK education sector.

lord agnew of oulton: In April 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, launched the attached Education Technology Strategy, ‘Realising the potential of technology in education’. This was launched to support the education sector in England to use and embed technology effectively, and to develop a vibrant EdTech business sector in the UK.Research informing the Strategy highlighted that technology has the potential to reduce teacher workload, create savings, and improve pupil and student outcomes. However, certain conditions need to be in place to maximise benefit; for example, good connectivity and infrastructure, teacher confidence in using technology, strong and supportive leadership, and awareness that technology supplements rather than replaces good teaching.To further understand the impact technology can have on the education sector, the department is developing a testbed programme which will help build the evidence base on the use of technology within schools and colleges. We have also created a leadership group made up of sector experts to work in collaboration with the government to help understand best practice and champion the objectives of our Strategy. 



HL17234_Guidance 
(PDF Document, 1.47 MB)

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

lord adonis: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what detailed evaluation was carried out into the option of building a new Parliament outside of London as part of the Restoration and Renewal preparation work; and whether they will publish any such evaluation.

lord mcfall of alcluith: An option to move Parliament out of the Palace of Westminster to a new purpose-built building was included in the Restoration and Renewal Pre-Feasibility Study published in 2012. The House of Lords Commission, then known as the House Committee, reviewed that study on 30 October 2012. It decided to rule out the option of constructing a new building away from Westminster and agreed that no further analysis would be undertaken on this option. The House of Commons Commission had already taken a similar view. These commitments were reaffirmed by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster in 2016 and in the resolutions of both Houses following the debates in 2018.

Bullying and Harassment in the House of Lords Independent Inquiry

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much has been paid to date to Naomi Ellenbogen QC in connection with the Independent Inquiry into Bullying and Harassment in the House of Lords.

lord mcfall of alcluith: As at 15 July, the Inquiry costs incurred so far were £137,045.86, including £122,873.50 for the work of Naomi Ellenbogen QC. Some invoices remain outstanding and so the overall cost of the Inquiry will be higher.

Bullying and Harassment in the House of Lords Independent Inquiry

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the work of Naomi Ellenbogen QC has now been completed.

lord mcfall of alcluith: Naomi Ellenbogen QC was appointed by the House of Lords Commission to conduct an Inquiry into Bullying and Harassment. The independent Inquiry has now concluded and her report was published on 10 July.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of a shortage of experienced UK trade negotiators during the Brexit process.

viscount younger of leckie: The number of negotiators required is dependent on how many trade agreements are ongoing at any given time and will involve teams of differing sizes, with expertise relevant to the specific chapters of sectors. The Department for International Trade has reviewed its resource requirements and continue to do so to ensure that it is sufficiently staffed. Since the Department was created its Trade Policy Group (TPG) has grown to approximately 700 people at the end of June 2019, bringing together trade policy, country specialists and experts on trade policy issues.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Mental Health Services

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mental health support armed service personnel currently receive when leaving Her Majesty's Armed Forces.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is absolutely committed to ensuring that both serving personnel and veterans are given the mental health treatment and support they need. We do this by working in close partnership with a variety of different organisations, including the NHS (which is responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans) and Service charities. Personnel leaving the Armed Forces are provided with a final medical assessment by Defence Medical Services who can refer personnel to sources of civilian welfare support as necessary. Those who have had mental health issues during their service are able to access facilities at their nearest MOD Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) for up to six months after discharge, to help them during the transition period. A Tri-Service Welfare Referral Protocol ensures any Service person discharged with a diagnosed mental health disorder who has given their consent is referred to the MOD's Veterans UK Veteran Welfare Service who can provide ongoing specialist advice, information and support. Where a Service person in England is approaching discharge but has an enduring need for mental healthcare, we work in partnership with NHS England through the Veterans Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service, to ensure continuity of care. The Government is not complacent about the need to further support our people. As part of the cross-Government 'Strategy for our Veterans' launched in 2018, this year we are also introducing a holistic transition policy. Transition support currently provided by the MOD largely focuses on employment support, delivered by the Career Transition Partnership. This supports Service leavers in their transition from military to civilian life through a range of career and employment support services, including skills development workshops, seminars, resettlement training advice, vocational training courses, career consultancy, one-to-one guidance and job finding support. However, transition is far wider than finding employment, and relates to the significant life changing processes which affect both the Service person and their immediate family through the entire time they are within or connected to the Armed Forces, through to discharge and beyond. These need to be appropriately addressed to ensure successful transition into civilian life. This will include transition to civilian health care.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 8 July (HL16599), what would (1) the weekly rates of Child Benefit, and (2) the monthly rates of Universal Credit standard allowances and child elements have been, if they had been raised in line with the Consumer Price Index.

baroness buscombe: If the weekly rates of child benefit had been uprated with CPI the rates would have been:  Amount in 2019/20 if they had been uprated with CPIFirst Child Rate22.05Subsequent Child Rate14.60 If the monthly rates for the Universal Credit standard allowance and child element had been uprated with CPI from 2016/17 to 2019/20 the rates would have been:  Amount in 2019/20 if they had been uprated with CPISingle under 25268.21Single 25 and over338.57Joint claimants both under 25420.99Joint claimants one or both over 25531.46Child amount (standard amount)246.79 More information on benefit uprating can be found at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8458/CBP-8458.pdf



Briefing Paper -Benefits Uprating 2019
(PDF Document, 889.08 KB)

Pension Credit

baroness greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of(1) the number, and (2) percentage, of eligible state pensioners who claimed pension credit in(a) 2017–18, and (b) 2018–19; and how many pensioners are forecast to claim that benefit in 2019–20.

baroness buscombe: In 2016-17, 1.81m (60 per cent) of eligible state pensioners claimed Pension Credit. Corresponding figures for 2017-18 and 2018-19 are not yet available. Official statistics on the take-up of income related benefits at Great Britain level, including Pension Credit, can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up in 2016 to 2017’ publication on gov.uk. Historic and forecast benefit expenditure and caseload data relating to DWP benefits at Great Britain level, including Pension Credit, can be found in the ‘Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2019’ publication on gov.uk.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of local welfare assistance schemes.

baroness buscombe: The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. The Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) 2014 review found that local authorities delivered support more effectively than the previous provision and that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.

Poverty

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to review their policies to address poverty, and (2) to ensure sufficient services for and assistance to those at risk of destitution.

baroness buscombe: This Government is committed to a sustainable solution to poverty in all its forms, by building a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. We have acted to increase the incomes of the poorest in society, for example, by increasing the National Living Wage and announcing a £4.5 billion cash boost to Universal Credit in the last Budget. We are also working with the Social Metrics Commission, and other experts in the field, to develop new experimental statistics which will help us to find new and better ways to analyse poverty in this country. These will be published in 2020 and, in the long-run, could help us target support more effectively. Through our Jobcentre network, we are taking wider action to support vulnerable claimants. Work coaches are upskilled to recognise and help claimants with a wide range of complex employment barriers and work with external partners to offer individualised, specialist support to help people to turn their lives around.

Food Poverty

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of people who need to use food banks.

baroness buscombe: This Government is committed to a sustainable solution to poverty in all its forms, by building a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. Households where all adults are in work are around 6 times less likely to be in relative poverty than adults in a household where nobody works. Compared to 2010, there are 3.7 million more people in work and around 1 million fewer workless households. We have worked with food insecurity experts, the Office for National Statistics and the Scottish Government to introduce a new set of food security questions in the Family Resources Survey starting from April 2019. This means that we will, in future, be able to monitor the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity across the UK and for specific groups, to better understand the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Meat: Exports

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether giving subsidies to farmers in the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit to assist them with the export of (1) lamb, and (2) beef, to the EU would be in breach of World Trade Organization rules.

lord gardiner of kimble: The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) rules covering agricultural subsidies are set out in the Agreement on Agriculture. A final assessment against these rules can only be made once a subsidy scheme has been designed in detail.However, at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in 2015 a decision was taken to fully eliminate any form of agricultural export subsidy as part of the ‘Nairobi Package’. This prevents the UK from putting in place measures such as: direct payments related to export performance; buying up non-commercial stocks of agricultural products and selling them overseas at less than domestic market value; or subsidising domestic or international transport costs for exported goods.

Home Office

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toinvite the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to report to the Home Secretary upon the options and possible solutions for dealing with cases of minors who wish to return to the UK from territories formerly held by Daesh, and who may hold nationality of both the UK and another country, where (1) a country refuses to admit the individual concerned, and (2) such a minor is atrisk of capital punishment, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is aware that there are British national minors in Internally Displaced Persons camps in Syria, and we continue to work at pace with our international partners on these issues. The Government has no current plans to ask the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to report on this topic.

Immigration Controls

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific action they took in each of the last five financial years to reduce net migration to the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government remains committed to reducing net migration to sustainable levels but has always been clear that this will take time to achieve.Under the current immigration system, we have maintained numerical caps to limit the number of people who can enter and remain in the UK and introduced measures to ensure employers invest in and develop the UK’s domestic workforce.Following the end of Free Movement, our future skills-based immigration system will support the UK’s dynamic economy and address public concerns around uncontrolled migration.

Police: Recruitment

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 July (HL16590), if information on which forces recruited Direct Entry Superintendents or Inspectors is not held centrally, (1) how the data on the number of recruits each year included in her Answer were obtained, and (2) by what processes Direct Entry Superintendents and Inspectors are attached to individual police forces.

baroness williams of trafford: Data pertaining to the Direct Entry Superintendent and Inspector schemes was provided by the College of Policing, which is the body responsible for administering those schemes.The College of Policing works directly with police forces to assess the number of places required each year by forces. Applicants apply direct to participating forces and, if initial competency and eligibility checks are passed, are recommended for a national assessment centre run by the College. If successful, candidates are considered for appointment by their chosen force.

Organised Crime

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that there may be a rise in cross-border organised crime after Brexit; and if so, what steps they are taking to address this.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government’s position remains that leaving with a deal, which includes ambitious internal security arrangements, is in the UK’s best interests.We continue to work closely with operational partners to maintain readiness for a range of possible exit scenarios in October, including no deal. This includes taking into account risks associated with these scenarios.The Home Office has therefore been working with operational partners to put in place contingency arrangements for a no deal scenario.In a deal scenario, the UK would enter an implementation period during which we’d continue to use all the EU security tools we use now.

Immigration: EU Nationals

the earl of clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make phone calls free of charge for applicants seeking advice from the EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centres.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office are not charging for this service, calls to the Settlement Resolution Centre from within the UK will cost the same as dialling any 01 or 02 number.The charges will vary depending upon the provider and using landlines or mobiles. Applicants may get free calls to some numbers as part of their call package. We also have an 02 number available for those calling from overseas.

Immigrants: Detainees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all detention centres are fully informed of the Adults at Risk policy; and in particular that staff responsible for receiving new arrivals are fully briefed.

baroness williams of trafford: Training on the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy has been provided to staff working in immigration removal centres, including healthcare staff and other staff who come into contact with detainees.This is supplemented by the issuance of further guidance, which covers adults at risk matters, to staff involved in the induction process.

Immigrants: Detainees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to report to Parliament annually, or more often, on the progress of the (1) Alternatives to Immigration Detention, and (2) the 2-month auto-bail referral, pilot.

baroness williams of trafford: There are no plans to provide an annual report on either pilot to Parliament.We will update Parliament on progress at suitable points, for example, once the two-month auto bail pilot has been evaluated.

Immigration: Children in Care

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatrepresentations the Home Office has received from local authorities about (1) the need for nationality advice for children inlocal authority care, and (2) problems in identifying children in local authority care and care leavers who need touse the EU Settlement Scheme.

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have topublish the new burdens assessment produced in relation to the need for local authorities to identify and support eligible children in carefrom the European Economic Area and their family members to regularise their immigration status through theEU Settlement Scheme.

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend (1) to monitor, and (2) to ensure that (a) looked after children, and (b) care leavers, applying through the EU Settlement Scheme are getting the correct status, in particular that they are not assigned pre-settled status because they lack the necessary documents.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office has not received direct representations seeking nationality advice for looked after children from local authorities. The difficulties that local authorities may encounter when identifying eligible looked after children and care leavers has been raised.During engagement sessions, with the Home Office EU Settlement Scheme Safeguarding User Group, as early as May 2018, stakeholders, representing looked after children and care leavers, highlighted that local authorities do not routinely record nationality of children. To help local authorities prepare for the launch of the EU Settlement Scheme, the Home Office made several recommendations. Identifying the eligible cohort of children and care leavers was one of the recommendations, along with identifying resource to manage this work stream. The Home Office has also produced an information pack to assist local authorities with responsibilities for looked after children. The pack details the need to obtain identity documents, a process which local authorities are familiar with as it is required for other circumstances.The Home Office has no plan to publish the new burdens assessment in relation to looked after children and the EUSS.The Home Office is committed to continuing to engage with local authorities as they undertake their responsibilities to ensure that all eligible looked after children and care leavers are supported to make an application to the EUSS. The Home Office will ensure that caseworkers liaise with and support applicants to get the status they require. The Home Office is directly engaging with local authorities, social workers, and those making applications on behalf of looked after children and care leavers to provide support and information.If an applicant indicates that they expect to be granted settled status but the evidence for that status is incomplete, the Home Office will make multiple attempts to contact the applicant and help them to provide the evidence required.The Home Office is monitoring applications in relation to children in care and care leavers both via engagement with local authorities and by tracking applications received.

Companies: Ownership

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many other countries have indicated that they will implement public registers of beneficial ownership apart from the UK and the Overseas Territories.

baroness williams of trafford: Twelve countries have expressed an interest in signing up to the Beneficial Ownership Transparency Disclosure Principles which the UK launched at the Open Government Partnership Summit in May 2019. These commit countries to developing open and free to access registers of beneficial ownership information by 2023.Under the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, EU Member States are required to implement publicly accessible registers of company beneficial ownership information. In June 2019 the governments of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man announced that they plan to implement their own publicly accessible registers of company beneficial ownership in line with EU norms.In addition a growing number of countries already have public company beneficial ownership registers. This includes Denmark and Ukraine.

Visas: Tourists

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the potential impact of reducing long-term visitor visa costs for those coming from emerging tourism markets.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is currently offering, as a pilot, a two year validity multi entry visa for Chinese citizens applying for a UK visa in mainland China for a lower price. This pilot is ongoing and the Home Office is looking at whether and how the pilot can be incorporated into part of the UK’s future visa offer and links to the development of mobility partnerships and trade deals.

Stalking: Mobile Phones

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to protect victims of abuse from being stalked through applications placed on their phones.

baroness williams of trafford: Stalking is an insidious crime that has a deep and significant impact on victims’ wellbeing. Both online and offline, perpetrators leave victims feeling constantly at risk and looking over their shoulder. This Government is committed to ensuring that victims are supported. In March this year the Stalking Protection Act obtained Royal Assent – it introduces Stalking Protection Orders, which will provide protection to people who are stalked online and by phone, as well as offline. The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, operated by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which helps victims of all methods of stalking.On 16 July we introduced our Domestic Abuse Bill which sets out our intention to transform the response to domestic abuse, including the risk of technology being used to perpetrate abuse. We published the Government Online Harms White Paper on 8 April which sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. This covers a broad range of online harms, including cyberstalking.The Government has provided Refuge with £250,000 of funding through the Tampon Tax Fund to provide specialist nationwide support to staff and survivors who experience technologically facilitated abuse. We have also provided Northumbria PCC with £646,000 through the Home Office Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Service Transformation Fund for a project which includes work to tackle cyberstalking.

Unexplained Wealth Orders

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unexplained wealth orders have been issued since those orders were introduced.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much foreign owned property is currently subject to asset freezing orders in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: 7 unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) have been made on 3 cases, including one which was discharged and replaced by another.6 interim freezing orders (IFOs) related to the UWOs have been made, covering a number of properties. The total estimated value of the IFOs is £140m. At this stage it is not possible to determine how much of this property is foreign owned.

Domestic Abuse: Rural Areas

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Rural Crime NetworkDomestic Abuse in Rural Areas, published on 17 July.

baroness williams of trafford: On 16 July we introduced our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill to parliament, setting out our intention to transform the response to domestic abuse. Our Domestic Abuse Bill and wider action plan will help to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report their experience, safe in the knowledge that the justice system and other agencies will do everything they can both to protect and support them and their children and pursue their abuser.We will consider the findings of the report. Whether it takes place in our rural communities or cities, we are supporting Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, so they can deploy resources as they best see fit to tackle crime, including domestic abuse.The new Domestic Abuse Commissioner will play an important role in monitoring the provision of services for victims of domestic abuse, including those in rural communities.

Firearms: Licensing

the earl of shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Earl Howe on 4 March (HL Deb, col 490) that they would launch a consultation on the licensing of firearms and issues relating to medical records by the summer recess, whether they are on track to meet that commitment; and if not, when they intend to begin that consultation.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government intends to launch a consultation on statutory guidance to the police on their firearms licensing functions, including the arrangements for the provision of medical information, very shortly.

Department for Exiting the European Union

UK Trade with EU: Duty Free Allowances

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to re-introduce duty free trade with the EU after Brexit.

lord callanan: It remains the government’s priority to agree a deal with the European Union, but as the Prime Minister has said it will be for her successor to find a way forward on EU exit.The Political Declaration sets out the UK’s and EU’s ambition to agree a future economic partnership which ensures no tariffs, fees, charges of quantitative restrictions across all sectors ensuring tariff free trade with the EU after Brexit.If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK would implement a temporary tariff regime (published on 13 March). This would apply for up to 12 months while a full consultation, and review on a permanent approach, is undertaken.The link below sets out the Temporary Tariff Regime in detail:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/temporary-tariff-regime-for-no-deal-brexit-published

Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 9 July (HL16639), who are the members of the Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group;which governmentdepartment each member is drawn from; how many meetings thatGroup has held; when each of those meetings occurred; and whether they will publish any minutes and documents relating to thatGroup.

lord callanan: The Government announced the formation of the Technical Advisory Group on Alternative Arrangements on 20 June. The group has met twice, on 20 June and 17 July, and will continue to meet throughout August and September.It is made up of technical experts in trade and customs and brings together individuals from both the public and private sector, and academia, who have expertise on issues spanning law, customs, supply chains, cross-border trade and technology. The members represent a broad spectrum of views and expertise, all of which will be needed to achieve our economic, fiscal and security objectives in the unique circumstances of the Northern Ireland land border. A full list of members can be found on gov.uk.Further information about the work of the groups will be made available in due course.

Brexit: Advisory Bodies

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 July (HL16639), who are the members of (1) the advisory, (2) the technical expert, (3) the business and trade union, and (4) the parliamentary engagement, groups; what meetings have been held by each of those groups; when each such meeting occurred; and whether they will publish any documents those groups have (a) considered, and (b) produced.

lord callanan: The Government announced the formation of the Technical Advisory Group on 20 June, and of the Business and Trade Union Advisory Group on 26 June. We will set out further details of the parliamentary group in due course. The Technical Group has met twice, on 20 June and 17 July, and the Business Group has met once, on 26 June. Both groups will continue to meet throughout August and September.The Technical Group is made up of technical experts in trade and customs and brings together individuals from the public and private sector, and academia, who have expertise on issues spanning law, customs, supply chains, cross-border trade and technology. The members represent a broad spectrum of views and expertise, all of which will be needed to achieve our economic, fiscal and security objectives in the unique circumstances of the Northern Ireland land border. A full list of members can be found on gov.uk.The Business Group is made up of businesses and trade unions to ensure their experience and on-the-ground knowledge informs developments. This includes cross-sector representatives from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The members have been chosen based on their comprehensive backgrounds in cross-border supply chains; this includes large companies who can represent the views of themselves and their suppliers, as well as smaller companies who rely on cross-border “just in time” supply chains. A full list of members can be found on gov.uk.We will set out further details of the Parliamentary group in due course.

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Commission's position on renegotiating the Irish backstop.

lord callanan: The Government has been consistently clear in its intention to leave the EU in an orderly way on the basis of a negotiated agreement, and to do so in a way that ensures no hard border on the island of Ireland on a permanent basis.The European Commission acts in negotiations in accordance with the position taken by the European Council, whose last expressed position on renegotiation of the Withdrawal Agreement is set out in the April 10 European Council Conclusions.

EU Action: Parliamentary Scrutiny

lord boswell of aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each Government department, from January to June, on how many occasions the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution was overridden in (1) the House of Lords, and (2) the House of Commons; and in respect of how many documents an override occurred in (a) both Houses, (b) the House of Lords, and (c) the House of Commons.

lord callanan: Between January and June 2019, 414 Explanatory Memoranda on EU proposals and other documents were submitted for scrutiny.During this period there were 37 occasions when the Government supported decisions in the EU Council of Ministers before parliamentary scrutiny procedures had been completed. In compiling these statistics a further 4 overrides were identified which were not included in the previous written answer for the period July-December 2018 (HL13200). They are included in this latest table.As with previous six-monthly periods, the largest category of instruments were fast-moving and sensitive Common Foreign and Security Policy/EU restrictive measures proposals where there were 32 such instruments adopted before scrutiny could be completed.The figures requested are set out below: Department(1 & b). House of Lords override(2 & c). House Commons override(a).No. of overrides in both Houses at same timeTotal no. of overridesCabinet Office1111Environment, Food and Rural Affairs1111Foreign and Commonwealth Office*31333133HM Revenue & Customs1111International Trade0101Transport0101HM Treasury2222Home Office**1111Totals37413741*3 overrides occurred between July-December 2018**Override occurred between July-December 2018

Treasury

Financial Institutions: Switzerland

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to permit Swiss financial institutions to continue to operate in London until the UK leaves the EU.

lord young of cookham: Switzerland is an important financial partner for the UK. Swiss financial institutions can operate in the UK in line with existing applicable UK and EU law.The UK has also taken steps to ensure the continuity of this relationship once we exit the European Union, including the transition of the EU-Swiss Direct Insurance Agreement into a UK-Swiss Direct Insurance Agreement.

UK Trade with EU

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether officials have visited the Sweden–Norway border to discuss with the governments of Sweden and Norway the impact of border arrangements on the passage and monitoring of goods across that border; and what conclusions they have drawn from their enquiries.

lord young of cookham: HM Revenue & Customs and HM Treasury officials visited the Sweden-Norway border in 2017, where border arrangements were discussed with Norwegian officials at a working level. The visit offered greater understanding of how the Norwegian facilitative regime operates outside of the customs union.

VAT: Databases

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek continued access to the VAT Information Exchange System after the UK leaves the EU.

lord young of cookham: The VAT Information Exchange system supports the free movement of goods between EU Member States. Access to the system will depend on the terms under which the UK leaves the EU. The current Withdrawal Agreement gives the UK continued access until the end of 2024.

Taxation: Young People

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the level of (1) income tax, and (2) National Insurance contributions, paid to the public purse by people under the age of 18 in each of the last three years.

lord young of cookham: This table contains estimates of the total amount of Income Tax and National Insurance Contribution (NICs) liabilities of individuals who are under the age of 18 at the end of the tax year. Total Income Tax and NICs liability of individuals under age 18 (£ million) Income TaxNICs2014-1541122015-1647132016-173810  All figures presented are rounded to the nearest whole number.These estimates are based on the latest outturn data from the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.Figures for Income Tax are gross of dividend tax credit consistent with HMRC’s Income Tax liabilities Statistics publication. Outturn data for the most recent two tax years (2017-18 and 2018‑19) is not yet available. The latest available outturn data in this format is from the Survey of Personal Incomes for 2016‑17. The estimates are for total liabilities rather than amounts actually paid.

Taxation: Electronic Government

lord colgrain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the Making Tax Digital service and improve the current (1) process of, and (2) software used by, that service.

lord young of cookham: HMRC are constantly reviewing the progress of the Making Tax Digital (MTD) service. As at 18 July, over 712,000 businesses have joined the VAT service and over 460,000 VAT submissions have been made successfully. The VAT Helpline has been performing within the 5 minute target for average waiting time. A small proportion of customers – around 0.5% - have been affected by service issues which HMRC are addressing. The Government recognises the value of independent assurance. MTD is part of the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio and the VAT service will be reviewed by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) in September. Software enabling customers to use MTD is provided by a wide range of third-party software providers. This approach has led to a rich choice of products to meet businesses’ different needs, preferences and budgets.

Aggregates Levy

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the Aggregates Levy for primary aggregates to encourage the use of secondary aggregates including that obtained from china clay.

lord young of cookham: At Budget 2018, the government announced that the rate of Aggregates Levy would be frozen for 2019-20. The government also announced its intention to return the Levy to index-linking in future. Decisions on the rate of Aggregates Levy from 2020 will be taken at Budget 2019. Following the conclusion of long-running litigation in February this year, the government launched a comprehensive review of the Levy at Spring Statement 2019. As part of this, the government has convened a working group of industry and sector experts who are providing input and challenge. Additionally, the government is engaging widely with stakeholders throughout the UK and has requested written representations (by 5th July). The government will announce next steps by the end of the year.

Money Laundering

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 8 July (HL16623), whether the requirement for business to “take a proportionate approach” and create “their own policies based on their assessment of risk”means that customer due diligence checks by businesses and banks for existing customers who have not given any cause for concern are optional.

lord young of cookham: The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 are clear that all relevant persons (such as banks) must apply customer due diligence (CDD) measures if the person establishes a business relationship (regulation 27). Whilst CDD measures include conducting ongoing monitoring of a business relationship, as outlined in my previous answer, the extent of the measures taken must reflect the risk assessment carried out by the relevant person under regulation 18(1) and its assessment of the level of risk arising in any particular case. Therefore, if a customer is deemed low risk, the extent of ongoing CDD measures would be tailored to that risk assessment and minimum monitoring would be expected.

Social Security Benefits: Families

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase family benefits and tax credits in line with the cost of living; and if so, when.

lord young of cookham: As the Chancellor has made clear, the government has no intention of repeating the current freeze on working-age benefits, including family benefits and tax credits. From April next year, the government expect to resume increases to frozen benefits in line with CPI in the normal way.

Lendy: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 19 June (HL16113), what discussions they have had with the Financial Conduct Authority about the case for that body to conduct an investigation into its decision to authorise Lendy when it had concerns about that firm’s compliance with minimum regulatory standards and the adequacy of disclosure to lenders; and what assessment they have made of the case for any such investigation to include whether any investors in Lendy (1) suffered losses as a result of that authorisation, and (2) are entitled to compensation from the FCA or another institution.

lord young of cookham: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The operationally independent FCA’s investigation into the circumstances that led to the administration of Lendy is ongoing, and it would be inappropriate for Government to pre-empt its findings.

Brexit

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address any economic downturn that may be caused by a no-deal Brexit.

lord young of cookham: The government’s priority has been to ensure a smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible. The government has reached agreement with the EU on an extension until October 31st at the latest, with the option to leave earlier as soon as a deal is ratified. However, “No Deal” remains the legal default at the end of the extension period if a deal cannot be reached. As a responsible government we have been preparing for this possibility for almost three years to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal. The Treasury and the Bank of England together have all the tools of fiscal and monetary policy available to us, including the fiscal headroom the Chancellor has held in reserve.

UK Trade with EU

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cross-Channel transport companies have (1) applied for, and(2) received, Economic Operator Registration and Identification numbers to enable cross-Channel transport after Brexit;and what percentage of cross-Channel unitised transportthose companiesrepresent.

lord young of cookham: If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, businesses will need to have a UK Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number to trade goods in to or out of the UK. Since December 2018, through to 14 July 2019, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued 66,000 EORI numbers, which are still live. HMRC has issued UK EORI numbers to all traders who registered for a number and did not already possess one at the time of their registration. HMRC does not hold data on how many of these traders are cross-Channel transport companies.

Hotels: Taxation

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 2 April (HL14646), whether they will assess how a tax levied on hotel stays on a per night basis might affect cities and their tourism sectors; and if not, why not.

lord young of cookham: The Chancellor keeps the tax system under review, but has no plans to introduce a tax levied on hotel stays on a per night basis. Therefore, no such assessment is planned.

Financial Institutions: Fines

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total (1) number, and (2) amount, of fines that have been imposed on banks and other companies in the financial sector since 2015; and what the money collected has been used for.

lord young of cookham: Information on the fines imposed on financial sector firms can be found on the FCA’s website. Between financial years 2015/16 and 2018/19 the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority have levied a total of 37 fines on banks and other financial sector firms. The total amount fined over this four year period was one billion, three hundred and sixty seven million pounds. Since 2015 money from these fines, minus enforcement costs, has been transferred directly to the Government’s consolidated fund. Fine income entering the Consolidated Fund is not earmarked for any specific purpose but is instead part of the Government’s total revenues. Government revenues are used to pay for all Government spending on public services.

LIBOR

baroness kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the preparedness of the financial services industry to solve the issue ofLIBOR-linked loan contracts before 2021.

lord young of cookham: The Government is supporting a market – led transition away from LIBOR by end-2021. UK financial services regulators have said that they will be expecting banks to show that they have eliminated dependency on LIBOR in their lending businesses, have suitable plans to move to non-LIBOR products in new lending well before end-2021, and to explain changes to affected customers.

Stocks and Shares

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have ever formally reviewed the case for the UK establishing its own requirements for liquidity standards for Undertakings for the Collective Investment in Transferable Securities at higher levels than specified by EU Directives; or whether the UK is currently bound by EU rules and cannot introduce higher standards.

lord young of cookham: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to Lord Myners by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

*No heading*

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement a national infrastructure strategy to increase business growth after Brexit.

lord young of cookham: High quality infrastructure is crucial for supporting business growth. The Government established the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in 2015 to provide impartial, expert advice on major long-term infrastructure challenges. The NIC published their first National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) last year, setting out their assessment of the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs. The NIA made over 60 recommendations, and the Government is planning to respond in full to all of the recommendations through a National Infrastructure Strategy, to be published later this year.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Public Consultation

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many consultations the Department for Digital, Culture, Mediaand Sport has carried out in each of the last five years; and to how many of those it published a formal response within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.

lord ashton of hyde: The information requested can be found in the table below: YearDateNo. of ConsultationsNo. of consultations that respondent in 12 weeks111.7.14 - 10.7.15142211.7.15 - 10.7.16176311.7.16 - 10.7.17165411.7.17 - 10.7.18236511.7.18 - 10.7.19183TOTAL8822  Responses to consultations often do not take the form of a simple and clear response, but are instead fed into wider documents and work e.g. policy documents, which often cannot be completed within the given 12 week period.

Yoga

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent meetings they have had with yoga practitioners, or representatives of yoga practitioners; and what action they are taking as a result of those meetings.

lord ashton of hyde: Government wants to encourage everyone to get physically active in a way that they enjoy, something we set out in our Sporting Future sport and physical activity strategy. As part of their roles the Secretary of State and Minister for Sport meet with the national governing bodies for sport and physical activity on a periodic and ongoing basis. Ministers continue to work with them to ensure that the government's Sporting Future strategy is implemented effectively and that grassroots participation is supported. National governing bodies are also in regular contact with Sport England, the government arm’s length body responsible for investing in and supporting grassroots sport and physical activity. Yoga clubs and associations are eligible to apply to Sport England for funding and are encouraged to consider this as an option to help increase participation.

Tourism

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to address the decline in inbound tourists' spending in 2018.

lord ashton of hyde: 2017 was a record breaking year for inbound visits and spend. 2018 saw the second highest figures on record. We want tourism to continue to thrive and will continue to work closely with the tourism sector to ensure this happens as we leave the EU. The recently published Tourism Sector Deal demonstrates that both Government and industry are committed to growing our tourism sector, through improving workforce skills, improving our international offer for disabled visitors, developing the concept of Tourism Zones to provide targeted support for specific areas and increasing investment in accommodation across the country.

Tourism: Productivity

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to improve the tourism and hospitality industry's productivity.

lord ashton of hyde: With both Government and industry working together, the recently published Tourism Sector Deal has a focus on increasing the sectors productivity through several means, including:Ensuring that the UK will become the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by 2025 and increasing the number of international disabled visitors by 33%.Creating a new independent Tourism Data Hub with support from some of our biggest travel companies. This will allow organisations, including SMEs, to make the most of big data revolution to understand activity and product preferences in their area - and better tailor their services as a result.The sector committing to deliver 30,000 apprenticeships per year, in England, by 2025 as well as leading a mentoring programme aimed at supporting 10,000 employees so that they are more likely to remain in the sector.Continuing to be Europe’s leading hub for hotel investment for the next decade with over 130,000 additional bedrooms added to accommodation stock by 2025, with 75% of these outside of London.Introducing Tourism Zones, bringing businesses and local organisations together to establish a coordinated strategy for growth in their local visitor economy and a reduction in the impact of seasonality.Publishing the Business Events Action Plan which aims to improve our attractiveness as a destination for international business events.